08/11/2026
For William “Bill” J. and Nancy Lang, the William “Bill” and Nancy Lang Scholarship Fund is about more than financial support. It is about young people, opportunity, and the belief that a strong future begins when someone is willing to invest in the next generation.
Bill and Nancy came to that belief through different life experiences.
Bill’s roots in Beaverton run deep. He grew up in the heart of town on Ross Street, where Hall-Kokotovich Funeral Home now stands, and graduated from Beaverton High School in 1967. He has watched the community change over many decades, including the needs of local families. Through it all, Beaverton has remained an important part of his life.
Bill, President of Lang Land Clearing and Lang Tool Co., has been in business locally since 1972. Lang Land Clearing provides land-clearing services, while Lang Tool Co. manufactures specialized equipment, attachments, and tools. Together, the businesses reflect the kind of hard work, technical skill, problem-solving, and long-term commitment that have shaped Bill’s career.
Over time, those businesses also became part of a family story. Bill has three children, and his two sons now work locally with the family businesses. His daughter is a doctor in Atlanta, Georgia. For Bill, seeing the next generation build meaningful lives and careers has only strengthened his interest in helping young people find their own path forward.
Nancy’s story brings another important perspective to the scholarship. Born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, she was living in Hersey, Michigan, when she and Bill met. When they met, and for a period after they were married, Nancy worked at Eagle Village, a facility dedicated to helping young people and families facing difficult circumstances. That work gave her a close view of what support, guidance, and opportunity can mean in a young person’s life.
Bill and Nancy have been married for 25 years. They share a common concern for young people and a shared desire to do something meaningful for the community they care about today.
That desire now lives on through the William “Bill” and Nancy Lang Scholarship Fund at the Gladwin County Community Foundation.
The scholarship was created to provide an annual award to a graduating senior or graduate of Beaverton Rural Schools. Preference is given to students pursuing engineering, followed by students pursuing skilled trades, then applicants with demonstrated financial need. For Bill and Nancy, those priorities were intentional. They wanted to support young people in Beaverton while encouraging pathways to meaningful careers, especially in areas tied to hands-on work, innovation, practical skills, and family-supporting jobs.
“We wanted to do something for the young people growing up here,”
Bill said.
That simple statement says a lot about the heart behind the fund. The Lang Scholarship Fund reflects a belief that students deserve encouragement as they take their next steps, whether that leads to college, skilled trades training, or another opportunity that helps them build a stable and fulfilling future.
The scholarship is also a reminder of the important role local scholarship funds play through the Gladwin County Community Foundation. Each fund begins with donors, a story, and a reason to give back. Over time, those gifts become lasting resources that help students pursue education, training, and career goals that might otherwise feel out of reach.
For students, a scholarship can mean less financial pressure, more confidence, and a clearer path forward. For families, it can provide encouragement at a critical moment. For communities like Beaverton, it is an investment in future talent, future leadership, and future possibilities.
That is especially meaningful to Bill, who has watched Beaverton change over time. He remembers graduating from Beaverton in 1967 with a class of just over 100 students. In recent years, he has seen graduating class sizes decline. It is a trend that concerns him, not because he has lost faith in Beaverton, but because he cares deeply about its future.
Bill and Nancy hope to see more young people find reasons to build strong lives, pursue meaningful work, and remain connected to the communities that shaped them. Strong communities need young people, strong schools, family-supporting jobs, and opportunities for students to imagine a future. Scholarships are one piece of that larger picture.
By establishing their fund, Bill and Nancy have created something that reflects the power of giving through the Gladwin County Community Foundation. Donors like Bill and Nancy can turn personal values into lasting community impact. Their generosity helps local students take the next step, whether that step leads to an engineering program, a skilled trades pathway, or another opportunity that moves them forward.
For Bill and Nancy, the motivation remains clear and grounded. They wanted to do something for young people. Through the William “Bill” and Nancy Lang Scholarship Fund, that commitment will continue for generations of Beaverton students.
It is a gift built from care, shaped by life experience, and focused on the young people who will carry Gladwin County forward.
